Guards cruiser Krasny Kavkaz: photo, crew, drawings, model, length

The Soviet cruiser Krasny Kavkaz was laid down at the Roussoud plant in Nikolaev back in tsarist times - October 19, 1913. Then he wore the name "Admiral Lazarev". The ship was launched, but it was never completed because of the revolution that had begun. The ship was remembered only in 1927. Then it was renamed the cruiser Krasny Kavkaz.

Building

The creation of the ship during the First World War was interrupted by Ukrainian and German authorities, temporarily establishing control over Nikolaev. In the Soviet era, the unfinished vessel was kept preserved. In 1926, the meeting of the Revolutionary Military Council took place, at which it was decided to resume construction. Soon specialists adopted a new project, according to which the cruiser Krasny Kavkaz was to be designed. The drawings were somewhat different from those agreed upon at the Roussud. For example, the Scientific and Technical Committee decided to use as a part of the weapons the weapons previously used on the ships of the Baltic Fleet.

For an unfinished hull for a long time no one watched, so it had to be cleaned from a thick layer of rust. Initially, the work was slow because of paper red tape and the approval of the project in different departments. Finally, the construction was entrusted to the Nikolaevsky Shipyard, and the manufacture of new implements to the Bolshevik plant. The project involved a team of engineers from a variety of enterprises.

Ship model

"Red Caucasus" was part of a galaxy of light cruisers such as "Svetlana". These were the first steam-turbine ships in the Russian fleet. In Soviet times, to the type of "Svetlana", in addition to the "Red Caucasus", belonged "Red Crimea" and "Chervona Ukraine". The outline design of the model was developed in 1907-1913. The project emerged as a result of understanding the experience of the Russo-Japanese War. Ships of the "Svetlana" type were built in the southern and northern shipyards of the country. "Red Caucasus" was created in Nikolaev, so his sketch was drawn up in accordance with the peculiarities of local production.

A light cruiser was designed to conduct reconnaissance in a squadron, fire support for destroyers, a squadron battle with dreadnoughts. Unlike armored deck models, Krasny Kavkaz had on-board armor, improved seaworthiness, increased speed, and updated artillery on board. The length of the cruiser was 169 meters, width - 15 meters. The engine system consisted of 13 boilers and 4 turbines. Their combined capacity was 50 thousand horsepower. According to the draft, the crew of the vessel was to consist of 630 people.

Crew

In the 30-ies. Nikolai Kuznetsov, the future Hero of the Soviet Union, the admiral, the people's commissar and the naval minister served on the ship. The crew of the "Red Caucasus" learned about the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, being under the command of Alexei Matveyevich Gushchin - captain of the 2nd rank. He left his post in November 1942, having been appointed to the Main Naval Staff. After Guschina, the captain was Vasily Nikolaevich Eroshenko, who commanded the ship before the Victory Day. Prior to the "Red Caucasus" he led the leader of squadron destroyers - "Tashkent".

Like on every ship, the cruiser's crew was based on its sailors. During the war years, many heroes served in the "Red Caucasus", who truly defended the socialist Fatherland. Especially important role played sailors-gunners - komendory. For example, Peter Pushkarev, who participated in several operations in 1941-1942, not only regularly fired at the enemy, but also repeatedly saved his comrades during the fires on the ship that occurred after the shell hit. After one of these episodes, he and his partner Pavel Pilipko were awarded orders for their courage.

Captain 1st rank V. Andreev answered the mooring of the ship during the landing operations on the ship . His orders were faithfully performed by Lev Kudish (Senior Lieutenant), commander Vasilii Tsebrenko and red-flags Alexander Chava, Alexander Zaitsev and Andrei Maksimkin. All these sailors and dozens of their comrades, who were part of the crew of the "Red Caucasus", faithfully performed their duty to the Motherland in the most difficult days of the Great Patriotic War.

Under the Soviet flag

The ship was put into operation on January 25, 1932. He joined the Black Sea Fleet. It was the last ship, the construction of which began in tsarist Russia, and ended under Soviet rule. The cruiser began to participate in navigational campaigns. So, together with the "Paris Commune" and the "Comintern" he went to the Kerch Strait, Anapa and Novorossiysk. In the 30-ies. The cruiser Krasny Kavkaz was the most important vessel of the Black Sea Fleet.

During one of the foreign trips on board, there were writers Ilf and Petrov (authors of "12 chairs"). "Red Caucasus" left the port of Sevastopol, arrived in Istanbul and went to the Sea of Marmara. In October 1933, he stood in the roadstead near the Greek city of Piraeus. Then came a visit to the Italian port of Naples. Then, not far from there, on the island of Capri, lived and worked the famous Soviet writer Maxim Gorky. Several sailors visited a writer. The cruiser Krasny Kavkaz returned to Sevastopol on the night of November 7, the eve of the anniversary of the October Revolution.

Continuation of service

When the civil war in Spain began, the Soviet government planned to send a squadron to the Bay of Biscay. In its original composition was included the cruiser Krasny Kavkaz. The crew was already preparing for a long voyage, but at the last moment the campaign was canceled. In 1937 the ship got into a storm in the Black Sea. The cruiser did not suffer, but the neighboring fishing vessels were not prepared for the storm. Without spending an extra minute, the sailors of the "Red Caucasus" came to the rescue of their compatriots. Fishermen from the schooner "Komsomolets" and "Petrovsky" were saved. The ships themselves sank.

In the same year, 1937, the light cruiser Krasny Kavkaz fell into a planned overhaul, which lasted two years. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the renewed ship took part in several exercises of the Black Sea Fleet and troops of the Odessa Military District. The covering of the landing of the landing near Evpatoria was practiced.

The summer of 1941

In June 1941, the ship was in the battle core of the Black Sea Fleet. Therefore, on the first day of the war, the sailors began to prepare for repelling the blows of the German invaders. For this, minefields were placed. An important mission was assigned to the ignition team. On June 23, the cruiser was loaded 110 minutes. All the shells, except one (descended from the rails), were installed according to the regulations - each with an interval of six seconds. During the next two weeks, the crew conducted several more such operations.

In July the guards cruiser Krasny Kavkaz, as part of a brigade of five ships (together with the cruiser Chervona Ukraine, as well as the destroyers Smyshny, Sobrazitelny and Smyshtyy) departed for Novorossiysk. The ship stayed there for two months. On September 10, an order was sent to Odessa to help the defenders of the frontline city. According to the decision of the fleet management, the ship was forbidden to enter the harbor harbor. The Guards cruiser Krasny Kavkaz was supposed to stay in the Arcadia area - the Big Fountain. Arrived in this area the ship was under the cover of fighters.

Meanwhile, the cruiser was attacked by enemy aircraft. Several shells launched from the bombers fell a few dozen meters from the ship. "Red Caucasus", despite the interference, made a shelling of the village of Ilyinka, where the enemy units were located. In response, the ship came under the fire of a German battery. Realizing the danger of the situation, the captain led the ship out of the zone of defeat. Similar skirmishes were repeated several times.

Help to Odessa

As early as August 25, the front was in the vicinity of Odessa. The Germans began to shell the port and residential areas from powerful long-range artillery. On September 9, the leadership of the Black Sea Fleet issued an order for the preparation of an assault landing near Odessa. It was assumed that during the operation, enemy batteries that threatened the city would be captured or destroyed. Especially for the implementation of this plan in Sevastopol, the 3rd Marine Regiment was created. But for the landing landing of his soldiers and commanders lacked experience. Therefore, it was decided that the cruiser Krasny Kavkaz would join the operation. Photo of the ship appeared in a lot of staff secret documents - they counted on it and hoped for it.

Preliminary exercises involving the cruiser took place in mid-September. The actual disembarkation was scheduled for 21 days. The ship took the landing at Cossack Bay. After that the ship went to Grigorievka, where the landing took place. Simultaneously with it, the "Red Caucasus" and destroyers opened fire along the coast. The operation was not without incidents. By mistake of one of the Red Army soldiers, the stern cockpit was shaken by the explosion of the grenade. The wound was received by 16 people. Nevertheless, the landing did take place, which was an undoubted success of the Soviet fleet.

Defender of Sevastopol

In October 1941, the evacuation of part of the army from the Crimea began, which was surrounded by German troops. For the transfer of people, ships, including the Red Caucasus cruiser, were used. The crew sank anti-aircraft guns, motor vehicles, machine guns, shells, etc., transported in haste because of the looming threat of occupation of Sevastopol. So, for example, on October 23, the ship was entirely 73rd anti-aircraft regiment, which the next day landed in Tuapse. In total, more than a dozen such evacuations were conducted.

When the Luftwaffe aviation carried out a massive bombing of the residential areas of Sevastopol and its strategically important port on November 2, the cruiser Krasny Kavkaz was also raided. The list of the crew of this ship is rightly included in the pantheon of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Even in the most critical situation, the sailors did not lose heart and tried to do everything to inflict as much damage as possible to the enemy. While at anchor in the port, the ship opened fire on enemy aircraft bombing the city. Sevastopol could survive the siege for several months thanks to the help of the fleet.

On the same day, two bombs fell into the nearby Voroshilov cruiser, which received serious damage and needed repairs. The crew of the "Red Caucasus", according to the order of the fleet management, went to the rescue of the affected ship and his comrades in the service. The damaged "Voroshilov" was taken into the tow, which on the road several times broke. Nevertheless, the movement continued. The cruisers often fell under the attack of bombers. With each approach of the enemy, anti-aircraft guns of the "Red Caucasus" worked together. On November 4, after Voroshilov, after repairs, they were able to regain control, and the tugboat was lifted. The same evening, the returned cruiser Krasny Kavkaz was greeted at the port of Tuapse. The model of the steam-turbine ship, in spite of its long service life, was intact and could still carry service. After refueling the vessel returned to Sevastopol.

Landing operation in Feodosiya

At the end of December the Kerch-Feodosiya landing operation of the Red Army began. The Soviet leadership decided to help the beleaguered Sevastopol by landing a large contingent of troops in the east of the Crimea. The ships of the Azov-Black Sea Flotilla and the Black Sea Fleet, including the cruiser Krasny Kavkaz, took part in the operation. From the paper drawn up at GHQ it became clear that it was the coordinated actions of the ships that would become the most important factor in the success or failure of the initial stage of the operation.

The cruiser went to sea on December 25. He and destroyer "Nazamozhnik" were to artillery fire to suppress enemy firing points and batteries, thus supporting the landing. Red Army men, in turn, on patrol boats and gunboats landed on the pier near Mount Opuk. Soon, according to the plan, the cruiser Krasny Kavkaz arrived in the area of operation. The crew, whose names are rightfully included in the lists of war heroes, found no one nearby. For several hours the ship stood still, waiting for directions. Finally, an order came to shelter the coast in the vicinity of Mount Opuk. Although the weather that night was favorable for disembarkation, the landing did not appear (it turned out that he did not leave Anapa at all), and the cruiser returned to Novorossiysk.

On December 28, Red Army soldiers (about 1,500 men) were taken aboard the ship, as well as vehicles, including cars. 29th "Red Caucasus" as part of a group of ships approached Feodosia and opened fire on the enemy occupied city. Under this cover, the landing force began its breakthrough into the seaport.

Disembarkation

Several attempts by the crew of the cruiser to moor it to the pier have ended in failure. Affected by the lack of experience of young seamen in carrying out such operations in difficult night conditions. The mooring was accomplished only with the help of tugboats. Before this, Captain Gushchin had to resort to several maneuvers. The cruiser drew the attention of the enemy, who opened a mortar and artillery fire on the ship. The first shells hit the movie box, where the fire started because of the inflamed paint. The pieces riddled the chimney. The foremast suffered a mast.

Another shell hit the second tower, where the explosion occurred, and many of the sailors that were there were killed. Here then there were foci of fires due to damaged wiring and ignition of paint. The most terrible was the threat of fire falling into the cellar, where ammunition was stored. If this happened, the ship would explode from within. Therefore, sailors fought with fire with maximum dedication, risking their lives. Many received terrible burns or poisoned themselves with smoke.

An example of this feat was the act of the Red Fleet Vasily Pokutny. He was the gunner of the tower and found a burning charge in the elevator chute. Because of him, the whole "Red Caucasus" (cruiser) was under threat. The doorman was not afraid of the danger and rushed to the burning projectile. Having pulled it out of the elevator, the red-fleet moved to the tower door, however, after receiving serious burns, collapsed directly to its burden. The comrades who were nearby noticed a fire and hurried to the rescue. One of the Red Fleetmen penetrated the tower through the tower, and from the inside opened the locked door. The projectile was thrown overboard. In nine minutes the fire was finally liquidated.

By eight in the morning the last paratrooper had left the ship. For several hours the cruiser was under enemy fire, but the crew managed to accomplish the task (rendering assistance to the Red Army men). The captain gave the order as soon as possible to rivet the anchor chain and chop off the mooring lines. After this, the ship at full speed rushed to the open sea. The enemy artillery on the peninsula lost sight of the "Red Caucasus". The cruiser, whose length was 169 meters, was an easy target for targeted fire, but now it has left its reach.

On the brink of death

On January 2, 1942 the ship returned to Novorossiysk, where it received the 224th separate anti-aircraft battalion (1,200 people), guns, shells, machine guns and tractors. The next day the ship went to Feodosia. The cruiser Krasny Kavkaz conducted dozens of operations during the war, but this was special. The ship left Novorossiysk with a lot of damage received during the first raid in Feodosia. In total, eight holes were found in the frame. They were stopped by improvised means, although the cruiser still needed a full repair. But he had neither time nor resources. Kerch-Feodosia operation required the participation of all available ships, so the Red Caucasus again went to sea, even with damage. In addition to the holes, there was a problem with tachometers not working in the control room. In addition, the ship had only one anchor, since the second remained on the ground after an emergency shooting on December 29.

The fleet headquarters made several unacceptable mistakes. The command detained the "Red Caucasus" in Feodosiya port for several hours. It was also wrong that the ship went off on an expedition unguarded by anyone. During the unloading of the ship in the port, he was attacked by anti-aircraft guns and enemy aircraft. It was dropped about 50 bombs, one of which exploded at a depth of 6 meters. The rising wave threw the ship and caused serious damage. In the plating appeared several fresh holes, the deck skewed, because of which several guns went out of order. Cellars, pantries and a few more rooms flooded with water. On the ship the light went out and the turbogenerator went out of order, damaged the central radio room.

Although unloading was not yet complete, and a part of the ammunition and two anti-aircraft guns remained on board, the captain decided to leave the port. On the ship most feared that the cruiser would run aground. Although the stern turbines did not work, the steering still functioned, and the crew managed to steer the Red Caucasus into the sea. Only 8 boilers and 2 bow thrusters were in service. The ship could not go at high speed, since during acceleration it began to vibrate strongly. In the stern rooms there were more than 1,700 tons of water. During the retreat, the cruiser was attacked by aviation, but thanks to maneuvers and retaliatory fire, these attacks did not lead to serious consequences. A few hours later the ship met the destroyer "Capable", who stood up for his defense.

Back to the sea

"Red Caucasus" arrived in Tuapse, after which the specialists began to study the damage to the ship. The analysis showed that the ship urgently needs repair. For this, it was decided to send it to Poti. Special decks were loaded onto the decks and about 200 workers took it. On January 28, the cruiser left the port. He got to Poti by towing a tanker "Moscow". All this time, some of the rooms continued to be unmated water, which kept a dangerous roll.

Direct repair in Poti began only in late March. It lasted four months. In April 1942, the cruiser received the status of Guards, a Guards flag was taken aboard. The solemn ceremony was held in the presence of the highest ranks of the fleet. In August, the ship went to the first after the repair tests, which showed a good result. The same summer after the reorganization in the Black Sea Fleet, the ship became part of a new brigade of cruisers.

By this time, the Germans had already seized Sevastopol, and the Wehrmacht began to attack Tuapse. The hardest days of the war came. In the following months the ship regularly participated in the transportation of the Red Army men from Poti to Tuapse. Many units transported the Red Caucasus (cruiser). 408 division, 145 regiment of the Marine Corps, 10 infantry brigade and other units visited on board the ship.

End of service

The last operation of the "Red Caucasus" during the Great Patriotic War took place in February 1943. The cruiser landed troops near the village of South Ozereika. The detachment seized the coast, seized a bridgehead and went out to the outskirts of Novorossiysk. After this episode, the famous ship remained in parking lots in ports and did not take part in hostilities.

During the years 1941-1943. 64 campaigns were conducted in which the cruiser Krasny Kavkaz participated. The photo of the ship regularly got into the newspapers, but the whole country knew about the exploits of the crew. During the war the ship transported 25 thousand people and repelled 200 attacks from the air. In 1944, the "Red Caucasus" went to Poti, where he remained for the autumn repairs, after which he returned to liberated Sevastopol. The cruiser made a significant contribution to the defeat of the Nazi invaders. His merits were appreciated. On the Victory Day parade in the summer of 1945, the flag of the "Red Caucasus" was flown by the Lenin mausoleum on Red Square.

By the end of the war the ship was already extremely outdated. Use it in battle no longer made sense. As a result of the audit in 1947, many inefficient ships were withdrawn from the Black Sea Fleet, including the light cruiser Krasny Kavkaz. The model lost its combat status and became a training one. In the autumn of 1952, it was decided to disarm the ship and sink it near Feodosia when testing new missiles.